Published: Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 7:55 p.m.

Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald made a bold move last year when he announced his plan to poll the community on how well his department was doing, according to those around him. McDonald said he would share the results of the survey “good, bad or indifferent.”

The results are in, and they're mostly good, although some of them point to areas that may need work.

The recent survey of county residents, conducted by Western Carolina University's Public Policy Institute, showed that a majority of respondents (75 percent) viewed the overall job performance of the Sheriff's Office as either “excellent” or “good.” Fifty-seven respondents (10.7 percent) said performance was “fair,” and 4.4 percent selected either “poor” or “very poor,” while the remaining 9.7 percent stated they were “not sure.”

The Public Policy Institute tested the waters with a pilot survey last June, distributing about 199 questionnaires to county residents through postal mail.

“The pilot survey response rate was 14 percent and included a limited sample of residents,” according to the survey results. “Only residents identifying as white/Caucasian and as homeowners, rather than renters, responded, for example.”

The pilot responders foreshadowed the demographics of survey-takers in 2014.

“In the spring of 2014, more than 4,000 addresses were randomly selected from Henderson County property ownership records, provided by the Henderson County Planning Department,” according to the institute. “The PPI received 543 usable responses, a response rate of 14 percent.”

Most of the survey respondents were male (56 percent), Caucasian (96 percent), elderly (55 percent of respondents were over 65) and homeowners (97 percent).

“There's two things we need to figure out,” McDonald said. “Of the shortcomings, what reasonable steps do we take to fix those things and secondly, how can we do it (the survey) the next time that will get a greater cross-section of the community, really the fabric of who Henderson County is.”

“Overall, the survey presents a positive picture of public opinion of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office,” according to the Public Policy Institute. “Respondents most often stated that the job performance of the Sheriff's Office was either 'excellent' or 'good' when assessing both their personal opinions and their assessment of overall public opinion. Most of the responses to the individual departments were also quite positive, although respondents often reported not having contacts with many of the departments.”

But the institute admitted in its release of the results that its study was limited.

“The sample is considerably older than the overall population of the county, which is not necessarily unusual in this type of survey, but could limit the ability to generalize the opinions from this sample to Henderson County overall,” PPI said. “It also does not represent the opinions of the more transient population in the county, as we were unable to reach many renters, and most of the respondents have lived in the county for many years. Lastly, the sample is not necessarily representative of the racial diversity of the community. Other efforts may be needed in the future to assess groups that may have been underrepresented by the sample.”

Survey says...

When asked “what illegal activities concern you the most in Henderson County,” respondents answered with a smorgasbord of crimes. “The most common responses included drug activity, break-ins/burglaries/thefts, gang activity and illegal immigrants,” according to the survey results.

“Part of the sheriff's vision and the goals of the agency are tied to breaking-and-entering reduction and reducing prescription drug abuse deaths,” said Chief Deputy Frank Stout. “Those are things the sheriff has already targeted in his long-term goals and objectives.”

The Public Policy Institute “asked three questions concerning crime rates and whether the respondents feel 'safe.' When asked how they would rate the crime frequency in their neighborhood, the majority (332 residents, or 62 percent) said crime levels were 'low' in their neighborhoods. Another 111 (20.7 percent) reported 'no crime' where they lived, and only eight respondents (1.5 percent) said that crime was 'high' in their neighborhood.

“Respondents overwhelmingly (92 percent) said that they felt safe in their community,” according to the results. “When asked about the change in crime rates, most (309 residents or 58 percent) thought crime rates were remaining the same, 17 percent (92 respondents) thought crime was increasing, and 39 respondents (7 percent) reported that they thought crime was decreasing.”

“I don't want people just to feel safe, I want them to be safe,” McDonald said. “People who feel safe in their neighborhoods, for instance, might not lock their doors on their homes or their vehicles, and so then it comes as a surprise sometimes when a crime occurs. Motor vehicle B&Es, the vast majority of the time, are from unlocked motor vehicles.”

One-hundred respondents (19 percent) said they or someone in their household had been the victim of a crime within the past 24 months. Of these, a majority (60 respondents) stated that the crime was not reported, with 18 reporting the crime to the Sheriff's Office and another 19 reporting the crime to another agency.

When quizzed about contacts with the Sheriff's Office, 57 percent said their experience with the 911 center was “excellent,” 30 percent said “good” and 5 percent reported it was either “very poor” or “poor.”

Seventy percent of respondents who had been in contact with a deputy said the deputy had been able to resolve their problem. “Of those that reported leaving a telephone message with a deputy, most (73 percent) said the deputy promptly returned their call,” according to the results.

Of the 30 percent of respondents who reported to have been a victim in a case assigned to a detective, 53 percent said that the detective followed up with them on a regular basis and 60 percent said the detective explained their case options. Forty-four percent of respondents who had contact with a detective said their phone calls were returned promptly.

An overwhelming majority (90 percent) of respondents claimed to have had no experience with visitations at the detention center. Among the 10 percent that had experience, 53 percent said that they were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied,” while 25 percent were either “very dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied.”

Most respondents said the personnel of the office's “promptness,” “courtesy,” “professionalism,” “concern for your problem,” “appearance” and “knowledge” was “excellent” or “good.”

When asked if the Sheriff's Office was visible in their neighborhood, 48 percent answered “yes,” 35 percent said “no” and 17 percent said they were “not sure” or had “no contacts.”

“Related to this issue, some of the open-ended comments mentioned the desire for more patrols in their neighborhoods,” according to the results. “Other open-ended comments requested more support for Neighborhood Watch programs, classes or more information for citizens to avoid or protect themselves from crime, and other community-based programs.”

To a final open-ended question that asked respondents what they would like to see the Sheriff's Office do better in the future, the responses were varied and at times contradicting.

“Several respondents noted concerns about 'speeding' and other traffic issues, while at least one respondent wanted 'less speed traps,'” the survey results said. “Overall, one common theme... was illegal drug activity. Out of 334 people that offered a response to this open-ended question, 87 mentioned something about drugs, ranging from stopping the sale of drugs to increasing prevention programs in schools.”

What's next?

Although a majority of responses were positive, PPI recommends the Sheriff's Office:

--Consider more visible programs concerning illegal drug activity and provide more information to the public about drug activity in the county and how it relates to comparable communities across the region or state.

--Consider an expansion of community programs, such as the Sheriff's Citizens Academy, Community Watch and other volunteering programs to possibly assist in increasing crime reporting.

--Increase public awareness of the process available on the HCSO website for people to request extra patrols in their neighborhoods; respond to requests in a timely manner; contact those who make the requests; and expand on community policing strategies with regular deputies or squads assigned to particular areas.

--Continue to monitor public opinion and concerns through further interactions with citizens outside of the criminal investigation process.

“The object isn't just to get a glowing report,” McDonald said. “That's gratifying, but the object really is to find out where we can improve services, what we can do better.”

<p>Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald made a bold move last year when he announced his plan to poll the community on how well his department was doing, according to those around him. McDonald said he would share the results of the survey “good, bad or indifferent.” </p><p>The results are in, and they're mostly good, although some of them point to areas that may need work.</p><p>The recent survey of county residents, conducted by Western Carolina University's Public Policy Institute, showed that a majority of respondents (75 percent) viewed the overall job performance of the Sheriff's Office as either “excellent” or “good.” Fifty-seven respondents (10.7 percent) said performance was “fair,” and 4.4 percent selected either “poor” or “very poor,” while the remaining 9.7 percent stated they were “not sure.”</p><p>The Public Policy Institute tested the waters with a pilot survey last June, distributing about 199 questionnaires to county residents through postal mail. </p><p>“The pilot survey response rate was 14 percent and included a limited sample of residents,” according to the survey results. “Only residents identifying as white/Caucasian and as homeowners, rather than renters, responded, for example.”</p><p>The pilot responders foreshadowed the demographics of survey-takers in 2014.</p><p>“In the spring of 2014, more than 4,000 addresses were randomly selected from Henderson County property ownership records, provided by the Henderson County Planning Department,” according to the institute. “The PPI received 543 usable responses, a response rate of 14 percent.”</p><p>Most of the survey respondents were male (56 percent), Caucasian (96 percent), elderly (55 percent of respondents were over 65) and homeowners (97 percent).</p><p>“There's two things we need to figure out,” McDonald said. “Of the shortcomings, what reasonable steps do we take to fix those things and secondly, how can we do it (the survey) the next time that will get a greater cross-section of the community, really the fabric of who Henderson County is.” </p><p>“Overall, the survey presents a positive picture of public opinion of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office,” according to the Public Policy Institute. “Respondents most often stated that the job performance of the Sheriff's Office was either 'excellent' or 'good' when assessing both their personal opinions and their assessment of overall public opinion. Most of the responses to the individual departments were also quite positive, although respondents often reported not having contacts with many of the departments.”</p><p>But the institute admitted in its release of the results that its study was limited.</p><p>“The sample is considerably older than the overall population of the county, which is not necessarily unusual in this type of survey, but could limit the ability to generalize the opinions from this sample to Henderson County overall,” PPI said. “It also does not represent the opinions of the more transient population in the county, as we were unable to reach many renters, and most of the respondents have lived in the county for many years. Lastly, the sample is not necessarily representative of the racial diversity of the community. Other efforts may be needed in the future to assess groups that may have been underrepresented by the sample.”</p><p><b>Survey says...</b></p><p>When asked “what illegal activities concern you the most in Henderson County,” respondents answered with a smorgasbord of crimes. “The most common responses included drug activity, break-ins/burglaries/thefts, gang activity and illegal immigrants,” according to the survey results.</p><p>“Part of the sheriff's vision and the goals of the agency are tied to breaking-and-entering reduction and reducing prescription drug abuse deaths,” said Chief Deputy Frank Stout. “Those are things the sheriff has already targeted in his long-term goals and objectives.”</p><p>The Public Policy Institute “asked three questions concerning crime rates and whether the respondents feel 'safe.' When asked how they would rate the crime frequency in their neighborhood, the majority (332 residents, or 62 percent) said crime levels were 'low' in their neighborhoods. Another 111 (20.7 percent) reported 'no crime' where they lived, and only eight respondents (1.5 percent) said that crime was 'high' in their neighborhood.</p><p>“Respondents overwhelmingly (92 percent) said that they felt safe in their community,” according to the results. “When asked about the change in crime rates, most (309 residents or 58 percent) thought crime rates were remaining the same, 17 percent (92 respondents) thought crime was increasing, and 39 respondents (7 percent) reported that they thought crime was decreasing.”</p><p>“I don't want people just to feel safe, I want them to be safe,” McDonald said. “People who feel safe in their neighborhoods, for instance, might not lock their doors on their homes or their vehicles, and so then it comes as a surprise sometimes when a crime occurs. Motor vehicle B&Es, the vast majority of the time, are from unlocked motor vehicles.”</p><p>One-hundred respondents (19 percent) said they or someone in their household had been the victim of a crime within the past 24 months. Of these, a majority (60 respondents) stated that the crime was not reported, with 18 reporting the crime to the Sheriff's Office and another 19 reporting the crime to another agency.</p><p>When quizzed about contacts with the Sheriff's Office, 57 percent said their experience with the 911 center was “excellent,” 30 percent said “good” and 5 percent reported it was either “very poor” or “poor.”</p><p>Seventy percent of respondents who had been in contact with a deputy said the deputy had been able to resolve their problem. “Of those that reported leaving a telephone message with a deputy, most (73 percent) said the deputy promptly returned their call,” according to the results.</p><p>Of the 30 percent of respondents who reported to have been a victim in a case assigned to a detective, 53 percent said that the detective followed up with them on a regular basis and 60 percent said the detective explained their case options. Forty-four percent of respondents who had contact with a detective said their phone calls were returned promptly.</p><p>An overwhelming majority (90 percent) of respondents claimed to have had no experience with visitations at the detention center. Among the 10 percent that had experience, 53 percent said that they were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied,” while 25 percent were either “very dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied.”</p><p>Most respondents said the personnel of the office's “promptness,” “courtesy,” “professionalism,” “concern for your problem,” “appearance” and “knowledge” was “excellent” or “good.”</p><p>When asked if the Sheriff's Office was visible in their neighborhood, 48 percent answered “yes,” 35 percent said “no” and 17 percent said they were “not sure” or had “no contacts.”</p><p>“Related to this issue, some of the open-ended comments mentioned the desire for more patrols in their neighborhoods,” according to the results. “Other open-ended comments requested more support for Neighborhood Watch programs, classes or more information for citizens to avoid or protect themselves from crime, and other community-based programs.”</p><p>To a final open-ended question that asked respondents what they would like to see the Sheriff's Office do better in the future, the responses were varied and at times contradicting.</p><p>“Several respondents noted concerns about 'speeding' and other traffic issues, while at least one respondent wanted 'less speed traps,'” the survey results said. “Overall, one common theme... was illegal drug activity. Out of 334 people that offered a response to this open-ended question, 87 mentioned something about drugs, ranging from stopping the sale of drugs to increasing prevention programs in schools.”</p><p><b>What's next?</b></p><p>Although a majority of responses were positive, PPI recommends the Sheriff's Office:</p><p>--Consider more visible programs concerning illegal drug activity and provide more information to the public about drug activity in the county and how it relates to comparable communities across the region or state.</p><p>--Consider an expansion of community programs, such as the Sheriff's Citizens Academy, Community Watch and other volunteering programs to possibly assist in increasing crime reporting.</p><p>--Increase public awareness of the process available on the HCSO website for people to request extra patrols in their neighborhoods; respond to requests in a timely manner; contact those who make the requests; and expand on community policing strategies with regular deputies or squads assigned to particular areas.</p><p>--Continue to monitor public opinion and concerns through further interactions with citizens outside of the criminal investigation process.</p><p>“The object isn't just to get a glowing report,” McDonald said. “That's gratifying, but the object really is to find out where we can improve services, what we can do better.”</p><p>Reach Weaver at Emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>